Woman Beaten and Robbed at SouthPark Mall

CHARLOTTE, NC — A woman, beaten and robbed in broad daylight at a popular Charlotte mall. The victim says the criminals left her battered and bruised, and got away with $27,000 worth of her property.

The suspects are still on the loose. The mall and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are stepping up efforts to keep shoppers safe.

“Someone came, obviously from behind me, and punched me in my face, on the left side of my face,” says the victim. “Knocked me out. Knocked me to the ground.”

The woman was attacked in the SouthPark Mall parking lot, at two o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon!

“He apparently grabbed my pocket book and was pulling it,” she recounts. “And I was still, it was still wrapped around my arm. So he was dragging me. I was holding on to the purse.”

The victim eventually gave her purse to the attacker, who then tried to rip a diamond ring off her finger, while continuing to hit her. She took the ring off and gave that to him as well.

The suspects got away in a stolen car, that was found later by police. They recovered the victim’s empty purse, but not the $27,000 worth of belongings they took from her; including a 3.5 carat diamond ring, Prada sunglasses, her I-Phone, cash and credit cards. They left her with one earring, and some injuries.

“I have a bruised jaw,” she says. “A bruised knee. I mean he hit me so hard, it knocked one of my earrings out of my ear.”

We reached out to SouthPark Mall. They sent us a statement saying they are working closely with CMPD, and that:

“The safety of our guests and mall employees is always our top priority. We continue to work proactively to ensure a safe and secure shopping environment at SouthPark.”

The mall also says they use 24-hour patrols and cameras to ensure a safe and secure environment.

Officer John Frisk with CMPD’s Crime Prevention Unit says police are working hand-in-hand with the mall, and that shoppers can take steps to stay safe.

“A lot of people get caught up in whatever they maybe purchased from the mall, with their bags,” says Frisk. “And, you know, they might be putting things into their car, into the trunk, and they’re kind of consumed into doing things like that. And they kind of let their guard down, just for a split second.”

The victim in this case asked that we protect her identity. She did tell me that she was aware of her surroundings, and parked close to the stores.